Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told a leading Russian news agency the US has tried to destabilise his country ahead of this month’s vote.

But Vladimir Putin’s loyal sidekick did not offer any kind of evidence to back up his shocking accusation, Reuters reported.

Not even Facebook ads?

As I wrote not too long ago about the clamour from some quarters to go to war with Russia (well, almost) for its trolling in the 2016 election: “You want to get even with Russia? The presidential elections are being held late this year, and the United States should mercilessly troll Putin. A meme for a meme.”